Subject of Possible Rule Making: Title 314 WAC; the Washington state liquor and cannabis board (LCB) is initiating rule making to implement EHB 1602 (chapter 141, Laws of 2025), regarding expanded contract kitchen options for domestic breweries and microbreweries.

Reasons Why Rules on this Subject may be Needed and What They Might Accomplish: The Washington state legislature passed EHB 1602 (chapter 141, Laws of 2025), on April 14, 2025. EHB 1602 went into effect on July 27, 2025, and allows domestic breweries or microbreweries to subcontract with one or more individuals or entities, including mobile food trucks, to satisfy food service requirements necessary to obtain and maintain a beer and/or wine restaurant license or a spirits, beer, and wine license. The bill further specifies that licensees may sublease their kitchen facilities to nonlicensees who then can operate a food service to provide meal options for customers at the licensed location, provided that storage of alcohol is substantially separated.

Rule making is necessary to align existing regulations with new provisions under EHB 1602 regarding contract kitchen spaces for subcontractors at licensed domestic breweries or microbreweries.

Interested parties can participate in the decision to adopt the new rule and formulation of the proposed rule before publication by contacting Jeff Kildahl, Policy and Rules Coordinator, P.O. Box 43080, Olympia, WA 98504, phone 360-480-7960, fax 360-704-5027, email rules@lcb.wa.gov, website lcb.wa.gov.

Additional comments: Interested persons can participate in the rule process through open public meetings and by submitting written comments, and are encouraged to sign up for the interested parties list (GovDelivery) at https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/WALCB/subscriber/new. Rule-making notices and stakeholder engagement opportunities will be emailed via GovDelivery and posted to the LCB website at lcb.wa.gov.